


Sir Gwaine and the Blue Eyed Librarian

by FeelsandFandoms



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Pining Gwaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1424971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelsandFandoms/pseuds/FeelsandFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwaine is not one to visit the library but he soon changes his mind when he meets a certain worker at the campus library. Now he can't stop going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sir Gwaine and the Blue Eyed Librarian

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first of two fics for the Untold_Legends Rare pair Fest. 
> 
> I would like to thank [twistofapen](http://twistofapen.livejournal.com/) for being my Beta for this fic. It certainly needed it and she help me shape it up. The specific books Gwaine checks out were her ideas. Her offhand comment about them were too good not to include.
> 
> I got the idea for this from this Imagine Your OTP [prompt](http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/64813925730/imagine-person-a-of-your-otp-working-in-a-library).

Gwaine wasn’t the type to visit the library. He’d went through a majority of his university years without having to step foot in there. He was way too busy with football and partying to consider going there, plus he wasn’t into reading for pleasure. But this would all change one rainy day when he sought shelter inside the campus library. 

Gwaine swept his wet hair out of his face as he entered the building. He immediately felt uncomfortable in the silence. He looked back out the window and realized it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. Since he was done with his classes for the day and had nothing else to do, he decided to find a place to nap while he waited out the storm. He walked over to the most comfortable looking chair and sat down. He shifted around as he tried to find a comfortable position but had little success. 

After trying for about twenty minutes he gave up. Gwaine opened his eyes and glanced around, thinking of something else to do to pass the time. Maybe it wouldn’t kill him to look amongst the variety of books. The possibility of finding some attractive girl or guy was also there. That would make his time worthwhile. So Gwaine rose from the chair and began wondering aimlessly through the rows of shelves. 

To his surprise, Gwaine didn’t find many people as he walked around. The library seemed quite empty. He noticed it seemed to have stopped raining and decided to leave, until someone asked, “Do you need help finding something? You look a little lost.”

Gwaine turned toward the voice, ready to say no when he saw the man the voice belonged to. He shouldn’t have found this guy attractive, from his big ears, extremely high cheekbones, to his skinny body, but Gwaine did. Something about this man drew him in. It might have had something to do with his blue eyes, which Gwaine thought were the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. Gwaine closed his mouth as he stared at the man. He was definitely not going to say no now, but he quickly needed to think of something to say because the man was starting to look at him weirdly. 

The library worker, Blue Eyes, stared at Gwaine while waiting for an answer. 

“Yes, I do need some assistance,” Gwaine replied as he found his voice. He tried to think of a book to look for. “I’m looking for something on legends and myths.” He hadn’t known where that had come from but he was rolling with it.

Blue Eyes nodded. “That should be a couple of rows over. Follow me,” he said, and Gwaine quickly followed. 

Gwaine wasn’t sure what to say to the guy. He was out of his element inside the library. He watched as Blue Eyes found the book he didn’t need and pulled it off the shelf. He handed the book to Gwaine. “Is there anything else I can help you find?”

Gwaine flashed his best grin. “No, this is all I need today. Thank you.”

“I can go ahead and check you out then.”

“Oh, you can check me out whenever you like.” Gwaine couldn’t believe how cheesy that line was but he couldn’t take it back now. 

The library worker rolled his eyes but Gwaine saw him smile slightly. “Follow me.”

Gwaine followed him to the circulation desk at the front. He laid the book on the counter and waited. Once the book was checked out, he slipped it into his bag with no intention of reading it. 

“That’ll be due in a month from now. Have a good day.” Blue Eyes gave him a bright smile. 

Gwaine nodded as he turned toward the door. Since the rain had stopped there was no reason for him to remain in the library. He glanced back at the desk, realizing he’d never gotten the guy’s name. 

 

Merlin watched Gwaine leave, a small smile on his face. 

“What are you smiling at, Merlin?”

Merlin turned to his friend Gwen as she leaned against the counter. “I just helped a guy. It’s nothing.”

“Are you referring to the guy you just checked out?”

“Yes…why are you looking at me like that?”

“That’s Gwaine. He plays on the football team with Arthur. I don’t think you should waste your time with him.”

“That would be why he looked familiar but why is he a waste of time?"

“He has a bit of a reputation and I’ve seen the way he flirts around at parties. I don’t think he’d be someone of interest to you.”

Merlin was disappointed. Gwen was his best friend and he trusted her judgment. If she said Gwaine was no good there had to be some truth to it. “He was nice to look at. Oh well,” he mumbled. 

 

Gwaine found himself back in the library way before the book was due. He didn’t want to risk losing it or something. He’d tried returning it a few days later but hadn’t seen the guy at the circulation desk, so he’d left. He waited a week before trying again, this time going at the same time as the first time. As he entered the library, he was delighted to see the mystery guy was there. He was sitting behind the circulation desk reading a book. Gwaine walked toward him and laid the book down in front of him.

Blue Eyes slowly looked up from his book. “Hello, how can I help you?”

“You don’t remember me?” Gwaine asked with a smile. 

“I see a lot of people every day,” he replied.

“That’s disappointing. I guess I’ll need to come by here more often. Maybe you’ll remember me then,” Gwaine said as he leaned his arms against the counter, giving him his best smile. 

Gwaine thought he looked impressed. “So what can I help you with?” Blue Eyes asked.

“I just need to return this.” Gwaine pushed the book toward him.

Blue Eyes picked up the book to him and scanned it, “Thank you.”

Another student walked up behind Gwaine needing to check out a book before he could say anything else. He moved out of the way. While he had just said he would keep coming back to the library without really meaning it, he decided this was a good idea. It was worth a shot and if the guy wasn’t interested, he would stop. He left the library and realized yet again that he still didn’t know the guy’s name.

***

Gwaine returned to the library multiple times over the next few weeks. He gave no thoughts to the books he checked out. On one trip, he grabbed a book on The Mating Cycles of Turtles and The History of Medieval Torture Devices. But even after going as many times as he did, he didn’t get the guy’s name because they were always interrupted by other students and Blue Eyes didn’t talk much. Gwaine knew he was some sort of science major from the textbooks he was always reading but that’s about it. He did ask a couple of days but the guy found a way not to answer.

“It’s just not fair that you know my name but I don’t know yours,” Gwaine said as slid the recent check outs into his bag. 

Blue Eyes gave him a coy smile, “If you really want to learn what my name is you’ll find a way.”

“Would you like to get some coffee sometime and we can talk about it then?” 

“No.” Gwaine felt his heart sink. “Not until you learn my name. Then my answer will be yes.”

Gwaine grinned. “Oh, I will find out what your name is. It shall be my quest!”

Blue Eyes smiled. “Until then, my knight, have a good day.”

 

After Gwaine left, Gwen walked over to Merlin. “He’s been coming in here quite frequently now. He must be trying hard to get you. He’s not much the studious type so you have to be the reason.”

Merlin felt his cheeks redden, and Gwen noticed. “You’re not into him, are you?”

“Maybe,” Merlin answered. He looked back down at his physics book. 

“You like him even after the things I’ve told you about him?”

“I understand where you’re coming from, Gwen, and I appreciate your concern. But I want to see what he’s like for myself.”

“Then why haven’t you told him your name?”

“Can’t I have my own little fun?” Merlin said as he gave Gwen a mischievous smile. “I want to see how interested he is in me. If he just wanted sex or something, he wouldn’t care so much.”

*****

Gwaine was too busy with practices over the next couple of weeks to prepare for their major rival match which, took up all his free time for the library. As much as he wanted to go see a certain library worker, he knew Arthur would kill him if he were late for practice.

Merlin was disappointed when Gwaine stopped coming to the library. Since he didn’t pay much attention to sports, he didn’t know the big rival match for the football team was coming up so he thought Gwaine was losing interest him and had found someone else. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried playing hard to get.

Merlin sat at his usual spot behind the circulation desk watching every person entering the library.

“Are you going to the game tomorrow?” Gwen asked, sliding into the other chair at the desk. 

“What game?” he asked, not looking away from the doors. 

“The big footie match? I figured you would have known about it because of your current fascination with one of the team’s players,” Gwen replied, raising an eyebrow.

This had Merlin’s attention. “Wait, what? I didn’t know about it. I’ll go with you.” Maybe there was hope for him yet.

 

On the day of the match, Merlin followed Gwen up into the stands. He felt out of his comfort zone in the stadium, but at least Gwen was with him. 

“Are you hoping he’ll look up into the stands and see you?” she joked as they sat down. 

“Oh, shut up. I’m just here to support my school’s team.”

“Merlin, you hate sports. I don’t think you even know the rules of the game.”

Merlin ignored her taunts and was glad when Morgana soon joined them, taking Gwen’s attention off of him. 

 

Gwaine was so focused on the game that he didn’t even notice Merlin up in the stands until the game was over with them winning, of course.

“Who’s that guy sitting up there with Gwen and Morgana?” he asked Arthur as the team made their way off the field and back to the locker rooms. This would be the perfect way to finally learn his name. 

Arthur looked up and turned back to Gwaine, giving him a weird look. “That’s Merlin; Gwen and Morgana’s friend. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious to know who he was. It’s nothing for you to worry about,” Gwaine replied.

Arthur didn’t seem convinced, but his attention was quickly pulled back to the celebrations. 

Gwaine couldn’t believe the guy he’d been flirting with for weeks was friends with Arthur’s sister and girlfriend. He could have learned his name a long time ago if he’d known this. Gwaine shrugged it off, since it didn’t matter anymore. He now had what he needed.

 

Despite how exhausted Gwaine was the next day, he made a trip to the library. He was surprised not to see Merlin at his usual spot behind the circulation desk. Instead, Gwen was sitting there. He assumed Merlin must not have been working today, but he didn’t want to leave, since he did have ten books with him to return. So he continued on over to the desk and set the books down, getting Gwen’s attention. 

She greeted him with a smile and a hello as she started checking the books back in. 

“Hey, Gwen, how are you today?”

“I’m well. How are you, Gwaine?”

“I’m pretty good. I was wondering if Merlin was working today. Do you know if he is?”

“Yes, he is…wait, how do you know his name?” Gwen asked as she stopped what she was doing to look up at him.

“I saw him at the match yesterday and I asked Arthur who he was since he was with you and Morgana. I figured he should know. Could you tell me where he is, please?”

Gwen studied Gwaine before she replied. “He’s not just another conquest for you, right? Because if he is, you need to walk out of this building right now and forget him. Merlin deserves way better than that.”

“I admire your desire to protect Merlin but you have nothing to worry about. My intentions are honorable. At least, at this moment they are. If he wants to take things further, I won’t complain.”

Gwen narrowed her eyes, “If you hurt him, you will feel the wrath of me and Morgana. Mark my words.”

Gwaine was taken aback by Gwen. Morgana scared the crap out of him. He wasn’t afraid to admit that but he never realized Gwen could have that effect on him as well. “I promise.”

“He’s on the second floor reshelving books.”

“Thank you, Gwen.” And with that, Gwaine raced up the stairs, ignoring the people who stared at him.

It took Gwaine a few minutes to find Merlin all the way in the back on the last row. Merlin has his back to him so Gwaine snuck up behind him. “Hello there, Merlin.”

Merlin spun around and almost dropped the books in his hands when he saw it was Gwaine. “Gwaine!” he said, a little too loud for a library. “Hi,” he said, dropping his voice to a whisper after receiving looks from a nearby student. “I see you found out my name.”

“Indeed I did.”

“How did you manage that?” he asked as he resumed putting the books back on the shelf.

“I have my ways.”

“Well, it took you long enough,” Merlin replied, giving Gwaine a cheeky grin. 

Gwaine laughed. “You could have just told me the day we met.”

“Yes, but I liked playing around with you. It gave me a chance to see how interested you were in me. Plus, it was funny to see all the books you checked out just to see me.”

“I did check out a lot of books. So,” Gwaine said as he took a step closer to Merlin. “I have completed my quest. Do I get my reward?”

Merlin smiled, “Yes, you do. I’m done in about an hour if you want to wait for me. Then we can go somewhere for coffee or whatever.”

“I think I can manage that. I’ll meet you out in the lobby in an hour.”

“Sounds good. Now, let me get back to work before I get in trouble.”

Gwaine bowed his head and walked away to find somewhere to wait for Merlin. He hadn’t gone out for just coffee in a long time. There most likely wouldn’t be sex at the end of the night but that was perfectly fine with him.


End file.
